Lord Krishna’s Birthday Joyfully Celebrated

Krishna Janmashtami, the celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna, is a beloved festival in the Hindu calendar. The birthday is celebrated by worshipping Lord Krishna’s infant form (Bala Krishna).

The CMLA community celebrated this event on August 16 at Rameshwaram. The ceremony began at 5 pm in the altar room with a detailed Krishna puja done in front of a beautifully decorated statue of the Lord. The puja ended with the chanting of the 108 names of Krishna.

Next the Shlokanjali group presented a selection of hymns, chanted with precision and verve. The Swaranjali group then performed Krishna-themed bhajans, accompanied by flute and tabla.

Brahmacharin Sandhya Chaitanya then addressed the gathering. She took up selected verses from the Bhagavata Purana to explore the story of Lord Krishna’s birth with the audience. With devotion and vivid imagery, Sandhyaji brought the beautiful composition to life in the imagination of the listeners. She explained that the significance of a festival such as Janmashtami is that it gives us an opportunity to remember the ubiquitous presence of Bhagavan in all aspects of our life. She exhorted the listeners to awaken to the Lord’s presence in our hearts. 

Mahadevanji then gave a brief discourse on Lord Krishna. He explained that since Krishna is the very embodiment of Consciousness, as sentient beings we should manifest that Krishna Consciousness within ourselves. By surrendering to the Lord, we will be able to navigate the ocean of samsara (the karmic cycle) and become free of it. We should live with the carefree, spontaneous joyousness of Baby Krishna since we are under his protection.

The program ended with arati and prasad distribution.